Andrew Barron

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Water Quality Issues Around the Gulf of Mexico
Andrew Barron
Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program
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Why are we interested in Water Quality?

• Natural Variability
• Human health
• Drinking water, personal hygiene, industrial
  uses, sewage treatment
• Environmental health
• Animal and fish health
• Aesthetics

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Which would you drink?
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What is Water Quality?
Parameters

• Selected characteristics that can be measured in
  a water body
• We take measurements of water to analyze water
  quality with respect to different parameters

NO3-
NH4
CO2
O2
PO42-
Water Body
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Water Quality Parameters

• Dissolved oxygen used by aquatic organisms to
  respire
• Temperature amount of heat
• Nutrients elements needed for plant growth
• pH acidity of water
• Clarity depth of light penetration
• Pathogens microbes that indicate contamination

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Natural or Unnatural?

• Pollutants manmade substances or excessive
  quantities of natural substances
• Humans change the nature of things
• Fertilization addition of nutrients
• Flow alteration levees, dams, straightening,
  concrete and rooftops
• Waste disposal sewage, solid waste, toxics
• Pollution is often related to population
  density, human or animal

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Point or Nonpoint?

• Point Source Pipe discharges
• permitted discharges
• 40 water pollution
• Industrial
• Municipal
• Nonpoint Source Rainfall Runoff
• Natural and Manmade
• 60 water pollution
• Low dissolved oxygen
• Nutrients
• Sewage
• Toxics

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Gulf of Mexico Alliance

• Priority Issues related to Water Quality
• Reducing Nutrient Inputs to Coastal Ecosystems
• Water Quality for Healthy Beaches Shellfish
  Beds

http//gulfofmexicoalliance.org/issues/water_quali
ty.html
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Nutrients Dissolved Oxygen Organic Material
Why are these water quality issues?
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Lets Review

• Photosynthesis
• Carbon Dioxide consumed / Fuel Oxygen produced

Energy / sunlight
CO2 H2O
C6H12O6 (fuel) O2

• Respiration
• Fuel Oxygen consumed / Carbon Dioxide produced

C6H12O6 (fuel) O2
CO2 H2O
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Photosynthesis
Energy transforms CO2 and H2O into fuel in
plants and plankton
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Respiration
Oxygen, used to combust fuel, produces CO2 and
energy
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Nutrients are Fertilizers

• Plants phytoplankton require nutrients to grow
  
• When on land, excess nutrients not a problem, in
  water becomes a problem
• Growth of organisms is limited by the least
  available nutrient Limiting Nutrient

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Algae Blooms

• Phosphorus limiting nutrient in freshwater
  systems
• Nitrogen limiting nutrient in saltwater systems
• An excess of a limiting nutrient (P, N, Si)
  causes increase in photosynthesis to transform
  carbon dioxide into algal cells
• Excessive growth of algae is an algae bloom

Cyanobacteria bloom from Lake Pontchartrain after
Bonnet Carre spillway opening (photo courtesy
of LUMCON archives)
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Algae Blooms

• Whats wrong with this picture?

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Algae Blooms DO

• Algae die fall to bottom of the water body
• Bacteria decompose the algae through cellular
  respiration, which consumes DO
• DO can be depleted
• Hypoxia low DO
• Anoxia absence of DO
• DO depletion
• More likely at higher temperatures
• Results in fish kills

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Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia
July 23-28, 1999, Shelfwide Oxygen Survey
30.0
Atchafalaya R.
L. Calcasieu
Sabine L.
Mississippi R.
29.5
Terrebonne Bay
Latitude (deg.)
29.0
50 km
28.5
90.5
89.5
93.5
92.5
91.5
Longitude (deg.)
Bottom Dissolved Oxygen Less than 2.0 mg/L
Rabalais, N. N., R. E. Turner, Q. Dortch, D.
Justic, V. J. Bierman, Jr. and W. J. Wiseman, Jr.
(2002) Review. Nutrient-enhanced productivity in
the northern Gulf of Mexico past, present and
future. Hydrobiologia 475/476 39-63.
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Hypoxia Cross Section
CENR. 2000.  Integrated Assessment of Hypoxia in
the Northern Gulf of Mexico. National Science and
Technology Council Committee on Environment and
Natural Resources, Washington, DC
http//www.nos.noaa.gov/products/pubs_hypox.html
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Kopapelletthe Pied Piper of Plankton Poop
Algae Cells
Copepods are common consumers of
phytoplankton http//www.cals.ncsu.edu/course/
zo150/mozley/fall/copepods.jpg
Kopas food
Dead Cells Plankton Poop
N
Si
C
N
P
Fecal Pellets
C
C
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Case Studies in Water Quality
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What is a National Estuary Program?

• Formed under section 320 of Clean Water Act
• Each develops a Comprehensive Conservation
  Management Plan (CCMP) to restore a watershed
• CCMP implementation
• Guided by multi-entity committee
• Consensus building among NEP partners

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Galveston Bay National Estuary Program (GBEP)
Galveston Bay NEP
Houston
Galveston Bay
http//www.gbep.state.tx.us/solutions-partners/dat
a-mapping.asp
http//maps.google.com/
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GBEP Issues

• Houston, Harris County, Galveston Bay watershed
• Over 384 municipal sewage treatment plants
• Many are poorly functioning
• 20 of septic tanks failing
• Expect population growth
• Limited funds for upgrading
• Untreated wastewater going into Bay

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GBEP Solutions

• Surveyed and performed risk assessment on
  failing septic systems
• GBEP partners combined resources to leverage
  grant monies to upgrade municipal systems
• Used opportunity in widening of Brays Bayou at
  Mason Park to put in 3.5 acres of ponds and
  wetland shelves
• Removal of nutrients, untreated wastewater, and
  toxics in runoff

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Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program,
Louisiana
Pointe aux Chenes, Stormwater Redirection Project
BTNEP Project Area
www.btnep.org
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BTNEP Issues

• CCMP identified 256 stormwater pumps
• Each drains bottom of sub-watersheds
• Contributes pollutants untreated stormwater,
  wastewater nutrients to fisheries areas through
  canals
• Stormwater Redirection
• Increases wetland nutrition
• Removes
• Nutrients
• Pathogens
• Toxics

Dam
Flow
Stormwater Pump
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BTNEP Solutions

• Pointe aux Chenes Stormwater Redirection Project
• No canal built as part of station
• Floods wetlands on outside of levee system
• Data
• Nitrogen
• Phosphorus
• Chlorophyll a
• Fecal Coliform
• Sediment accretion
• Vegetative Biomass
• Water Quality and Wetlands Benefited

Total Nitrogen
Total Phosphorus
Chlorophyll a
Vegetative Biomass
Draft Report Wetland Response to Stormwater
Discharge at Pointe aux Chien Stormwater Pumping
Station
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Model Urban Natural Resources Conservation Plan
(MUNRCP)
Madison
Jackson
http//maps.google.com/
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MUNRCP Issues

• City of Madison Madison County
• Rapid growth, urban sprawl from Jackson, MS
• Partners
• MS Soil Water Conservation Commission
• Madison County Soil Water Conservation
  District
• EPA funding
• Developed implemented comprehensive plan
• Nonpoint Source Pollution
• Water Management
• Landscape
• Wildlife Habitats

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MUNRCP Solutions

• Hillside planting of vegetative cover
• Installation of porous pavement parking lot
• Riparian restoration in detention area
• Stormwater treatment system installed at the
  Madison airport

http//www.epa.gov/region4/water/nps/MS/documents/
MS_UrbanPlan.pdf
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Mobile Bay National Estuary Program (MBNEP)
MBNEP Watershed
MBNEP Boundary
Mobile
Gulf of Mexico
http//www.mobilebaynep.com/site/estuary/map.htm
http//maps.google.com/
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MBNEP Issues

• Baldwin County
• Stormwater inputs to waterways sediment,
  nutrients
• Rapid growth - Gulfshores, Orange Beach,
• Formation of a Blue Water Commission
  workshops fostered support of businesses,
  residents municipalities

http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baldwin_County,_Alaba
ma
http//www.epa.gov/nep/
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MBNEP Solutions

• Legislatively established regional stormwater
  authority in 2007
• Levy taxes on homes and businesses based on
  various factors, ex. impervious surfaces and
  stormwater management features
• http//www.epa.gov/nep/

• Wolf Bay and Tensaw River designated
  "Outstanding Alabama Waters" by the Alabama
  Environmental Management Commission
• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baldwin_County,_Alaba
  ma

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Tampa Bay Estuary Program (TBEP)
Tampa
Gulf of Mexico
http//maps.google.com/
http//www.tbep.org/portrait/tampa_bay_map.html
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TBEP Issues
Sources of Nitrogen, Tampa Bay

• Stormwater, wastewater runoff
• Nitrogen loading to Bay

http//www.epa.gov/nep/
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TBEP Solutions

• Reduce nitrogen through Total Maximum Daily Load
  (TMDL) program
• TBEPs public-private Nitrogen Management
  Consortium
• 250 projects implemented wastewater treatment,
  stormwater treatment (street sweeping),
  fertilizer plants, power plants
• 60 Total Nitrogen reduction as compared to
  mid-1970s
• Water Quality targets being met
• Bay-wide sea grass coverage in 2006 highest
  since 1950s

Turtle grass
http//www.epa.gov/nep/
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Watershed Programs Produce Results
Program Issues Solutions
GBEP Stormwater Wastewater Upgraded treatment plants, wetland assimilation
BTNEP Stormwater Wastewater Data collection, stormwater redirection, wetland assimilation
MUNRCP Stormwater Habitat Habitat plantings, soil stabilization
MBNEP Stormwater Regional Stormwater Authority, tax system
TBEP Stormwater TMDLs, street sweeping, wastewater treatment, scrubbers at plants
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andrew_at_btnep.org
www.btnep.org